Hennessey Venom 600GTS: Tested 0-150-0 MPH

From the August 1988 issue of Car and Driver.Hennessey Venom 600GTSStreet Drivability: 3 stars
Durability: 5 stars
0 to 60: 3.5 sec, 162 ft
0 to 100: 7.6 sec, 656 ft
1/4-mile: 11.7 sec @ 126 mph
0 to 150: 18.5 sec, 2902 ft
150-to-0-mph braking: 866 ft
Total time, 0 to 150 to 0 mph: 27.4 secIn the six years since the debut of the production Dodge Viper, John Hennessey has become the best-known tuner for those who want to make their already muscular snakes even more venomous. Not only does Hennessey provide a full line of go-fast components, but he also produces complete packages of coordinated upgrades. For this test, he provided the most volatile of these—the Venom 600GTS.The Venom makes 602 horsepower at 5700 rpm. This output is achieved through ported and polished heads equipped with oversized stainless-steel valves and a heavy-duty valvetrain activated by a hotter camshaft, a ported and polished intake manifold with oversized throttle bodies, and stainless-steel headers. To take full advantage of this deep breathing, the Venom 600 engine gets 10.5:1 high-compression forged pistons on forged-steel connecting rods bolted to a stroker crankshaft, which increases displacement from 7990 to 8423cc.With the Venom 600GTS package, Hennessey also provides Penske triple-adjustable shock absorbers, Alcon front brakes with 13.5-inch rotors and four-piston calipers, a short-throw shifter, and polished Hennessey wheels.The Venom is easily identified by its low-hanging carbon-fiber front air dam, its ground-effects rear bumper, and its prominent rear wing, all of which do nothing to reduce drag, although they likely boost downforce at high speeds.Inside, the Venom 600 comes with Connolly-leather upholstery, a roll bar, and five-point seatbelt harnesses. With all these features, the standard Venom package adds up to $79,800, which must be added to the $72,594 price of a Dodge Viper GTS. This particular example was a bit less dear because it lacked the $13,000 carbon-fiber hood. A change from the stock 3.07:1 axle to a 3.33:1 unit added $2000, bringing the tab to $141,394. That the Venom is a Visigoth among Vipers is apparent the instant you spin its ignition key. It idles lumpily at 1500 rpm and spits out an exhaust rasp with even the faintest touch of its throttle. Despite these racy cues, the Venom is highly manageable. With its 514-cubic-inch engine, there’s torque everywhere and the throttle response is seamless. Although the steering can be a bit darty on rough roads, the linear brakes and the precise shifter make for a road car that is easy to drive.On the track, the Venom’s tremendous torque and tenacious traction paid off with a 0-to-60-mph time of 3.5 seconds—the quickest in the test. And its quarter-mile performance of 11.7 seconds at 126 mph was second quickest.After shifting into fourth gear at 132 mph, however, the Venom’s acceleration trailed off, due in part to the car’s large frontal area and its middling 0.36 drag coefficient, a figure probably degraded by the rear wing. As a result, the Venom’s 18.5-second time to 150 mph was only third quickest.Although Schroeder reported no difficulties controlling the Venom’s brakes, he needed 866 feet to bring the Venom to a halt from 150, besting only the SVSi Viper RT/10 and the stock Viper GTS. Without ABS, precious fractions of a second were lost achieving full deceleration once the 150-mph threshold was passed.So the Venom’s 27.4-second time put it in third place. But Schroeder noted that the car felt as if it could click off 0-to-150-to-0 runs all day long. That bodes well for the Venom’s longevity as a street machine destined for a fast life. Hennessey Motorsports; hennesseyperformance.comContributing EditorCsaba Csere joined Car and Driver in 1980 and never really left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 until his retirement from active duty in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and LeMons racing, as well as ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, and trio of motorcycles—when not skiing or hiking near his home in Colorado. 
Source: caranddriver.com